Video Review: Rod Stewart “Broken Arrow”

Filmed in sepia, a man and a woman swing on harnesses over water and a bare tree. A man awakes, the branches of the trees attached to his limbs. A sheet of white flies in the wind.

On top of a building, near the clock, Rod Stewart walks along the ledge, explaining his case. A woman floats in the water as Stewart, behind a background of clouds, sings.

The man and woman reach for each other but can’t connect. The tree man sways his arms to cover the woman. The woman is able to get to the man, She holds onto his shoulders as long as she can.

A woman, wearing a red dress, covering her chest with a red shrug, walks to a tree on top of a rock. In his background, he emphasizes his point by his balling his fist and opening his hand.

From on top of the clock, Stewart stands on the ledge, his arms out as the view expands to the entire building and some of the city below. In his individual shot, he puts his arms against his chest.

The man holds onto the woman’s leg as they fly in the air. The woman, by the tree, pulls her arms closer to chest, causing her cleavage to rise. The man holds onto the woman’s ankle. The woman touches her shoulder, rolls her head and takes an orgasmic breath. The man hangs onto the woman’s foot. The woman puts her arms across her chest and closes her eyes. Stewart raises his hand near his face. The man is able to touch the woman’s neck.

The tree man lowers his head and arms. The woman puts her arm in the air, lifting some of her red dress. A woman crawls in the water while the tree man remains still. The woman sleeps on a thick, tree branch. The man and woman miss each other and try to grab each other’s hands. Lightning flashes behind Stewart on top of the building as he points to the lake, not so far away from him. In his individual shot, he holds his hat to his chest. The man and woman skim the water as the woman in the red dress looks for anything beyond the trees.

The woman bounces high in the air after the man holds her waist. She twists above him and he races to catch her hand. The woman puts the rest of the red shrug over her chest.

The tree man, struggles, wanting to define himself and then is able to get up. The woman spins over the water. The man copies her move. The man splashes in the water. Later, he is able to hold onto her waist again and fly with her. She puts pulled away from him. She bounces up and down and he attempts to reach for her. The man, lonely, swings on his own. The tree man rests his body in the water. The woman lets her shrug fly in the sky. The woman splashes the water in front of her face. The woman leans against the tree. Stewart stands at the edge of the building, his arms out.

Rating: 2/5

The video has dreams of being a teacher, embarking lessons on an audience that will impact them forever. The lesson is that women are unreachable, fragile creatures that need a man to save them.

They are either unreachable due to their beauty, as the struggling tree man finds out. It derails his confidence, causing him to wilt and nearly break. Or they simply can’t be caught, like the woman who flies away from her boyfriend who longs to adore her.

However, the men in the process are needy and emotional. But at least the men can have emotions. The women featured either have too much or too little. No amount of sepia filmed tone can disguise the hypocrisy and no matter what, the women can’t win.